A thoroughly English affair

David Blackburn

Friday, 14th October 2011

Calm reigned outside Kensal Rise Library this afternoon, following the dramas of the morning. Contractors arrived at 6am to board up the building after a court decided that Labour controlled Brent Council could close six libraries as part of its austerity drive. They discovered two people standing guard at the front door, who immediately stood-to and barred the way. The same scene was repeated at 8am, when a posse of locals descended to defy council workers. They were bolstered by a phalanx of 140 or so primary school children from the nearby Princess Frederica CofE school, dragooned into action by their parents. The burly contractors slunk off with their chip-board and haven’t been seen since.

The mood was quietly upbeat when I arrived just after midday. The sun was shining, the streets were sleepy and there was fruitcake to eat. The few vehicles that passed by sounded their horns in solidarity. Local types stopped for a natter. All in all, Nora Batty wouldn’t have looked out of place, so delightfully English was the setting.

Rachel and Pam were on guard duty, and they were being unofficially chaperoned by Paul Lorber, a Lib Dem councillor in Brent who is involved with Save Kensal Rise Library! He told me that 60 people have volunteered to protect the building 24 hours a day until such time as the council relents. Those same people have also pledged to help run the library in future.
  
The campaign to save Kensal Rise Library has captured public imagination over the last year; the group has been the subject of newspaper columns and television programmes. Next week, a troupe of comics, including Rob Ince, Alexei Sayle and Phil Jupitus, will perform a cabaret to raise money for the possible appeal against the recent court judgment.

With such support, the Save Kensal Rise Library! remains fairly confident of ultimate victory. Rachel and Pam both said that they would remain vigilant, but expected the council to stay away this weekend because, apparently, Brent's estates officer, Richard Barrett, has said that the council will negotiate a settlement with the campaigners. Barrett was unavailable for comment this afternoon.

There will be changes to the elegant red brick building if the group succeeds. Currently, the library only occupies the ground floor. The first floor is used a reading room, but campaigners intend to invite 'Into University' — a charity that encourages wider access to higher education, which operates out of a local church at present — to take over the floor in order to share the burden of costs.

There is, however, one complication. The site is owned by All Souls College Oxford, who leased the building out in 1899 on condition that it is always used as a library. It is not clear how Brent Council’s policies, the recent court judgment and the campaigners’ plans will be affected by All Souls' rights to the building. The college’s Estates Bursar has been in London today and is believed to have met or spoken to representatives from Brent Council and Margaret Bailey, the leader of Save Kensal Rise Library! All Souls has refused to comment on the case.

Blog Tags: England , Libraries , Society